When Cookie Cohen, a planner at her mother's events company, Norma Cohen Productions, and Alfons Ashear were first set up by mutual friends, the timing wasn't quite right. "Life looked different then, and I don't think either of us was ready for a relationship," she recalls. Years later, those same matchmakers encouraged Alfons to reach out again—and this time, the stars aligned.
Six months into dating, Alfons suggested breakfast at Café Bilboquet, a place Cookie had mentioned on their second date as home to the city's best croissants. She knew a proposal was coming, but was distracted that morning by texts about a Jonas Brothers concert. What she didn’t know was Alfons was a sucker for love, and had a performance of his own up his sleeve. He set down a plate of croissants spelling out "Cookie, will you marry me?" and got down on one knee. Violins began to play, cameras shuttered, and her parents, sister, and grandmother emerged from hiding. She got home to find a vintage Roberto Cavalli dress waiting, hair and makeup on standby, and an engagement shoot in Central Park ahead.
If there was one thing Cookie knew for certain about her wedding, it was the venue. The Waldorf Astoria had been the bride's dream since childhood; it was where her parents married and where her grandparents celebrated every milestone. For the decade it sat closed for renovations, her friends joked the universe was waiting for it to reopen before she could find the right person. Then Alfons came along, and the property opened its doors once more. "It was kismet," she declares.
From the very beginning, the celebration was envisioned as a love letter to her parents’ wedding. They sourced the same calligrapher for the invitations by Artscroll, booked the same photography studio, Brian Marcus, and planned to recreate the grand staircase her late grandfather had originally built for their reception.
"My mom has been in the industry for 35 years, and I've been following in her footsteps my whole life," Cookie reflects. "I grew up around party setups." With her Norma by her side, they went through their collection of magazines for inspiration and stopped on crystal palm trees from an early 2000s Victoria's Secret fashion show. It became the guiding light for their celebration.“We designed our own version with Floral Art, who actually went overseas to create it for us."
On March 12, 2026, guests stepped into Jade Salon, transformed into a French garden, where a delicate lace chuppah, inspired by the bride’s veil, set the scene. Cookie walked down the aisle to “The Book of Love,” performed live by Element Music. “I always thought I was going to walk down the aisle and completely break down into tears, but I was just so happy and excited to see Alfons that I couldn’t stop smiling,” the bride beams. “When it came time to break the glass, he missed on the first try, but landed it on the second.”
The couple opted for a recessional, during which she wore a high-low Ines Di Santo dress that she found at Mark Ingram. “It was dramatic, backless, and my number one request . . . not lace,” Cookie winks. Without missing a beat, the band launched into “All You Need Is Love,” carrying the celebration forward as the room erupted in joy.
Guests were guided to the ballroom through a crystal-lined walkway, where Norma's team had executed her vision to a tee—giving her the space to step fully into the role of mother of the bride. "I've always been drawn to traditional design elements, so from the very beginning, I knew I wanted Cookie's wedding to remain classic and chic," Norma explains. "I was looking for an old world needlepoint and landed on a pattern we loved."
Once inside, the room felt like a world unto its own. Bowls of frosted fruit sat alongside custom chargers by Luxe Event Rentals, while upholstered furniture was thoughtfully matched to the tapestry linens by Nuage Designs. The dance floor—reimagined from the Waldorf’s iconic lobby mosaic by Bombshell Graphics—was recolored to echo the same pattern, anchoring the space with a cabaret-like energy. Pegasus Productions lit everything perfectly, elevating the atmosphere.
Cookie and Alfons descended the grand staircase just as her parents had done a generation before—a moment decades in the making. "When my dad first saw the staircase, he said, 'I'm not walking down that,’" Cookie recalls. "And my grandpa replied, 'If you don't, there are 100 other guys who would!’"
Below, the dance floor was filled with faces she'd known for years. "I loved looking around and seeing the vendors who have been part of my life for so long," she says. "We've spent years together creating weddings for other brides—and now we finally had a wedding we could all dance at and enjoy together." Roey Yadgar Films captured everything on video.
After the delicious meal by Foremost Caterers, the dessert room was revealed. Lesti's Desserts and Loren Greenberg filled the space with towering cakes and meringues—Cookie's personal favorite. As an homage to her name, a cookie bar was non-negotiable. Hundreds of stacked cookies alongside custom tins filled with her signature fresh-baked recipe. "I called them my 'get me married' cookies because I knew if I made those for a man he would fall in love," she laughs. The tins, designed to mirror the decor, were printed with Taylor Swift lyrics—one of which Alfons had circled months earlier: "Your past and mine were parallel lines, stars all aligned and they intertwined."
After the reception, Cookie changed into her Reem Acra reception look and let her hair down with the help of Avi Pinhasov. The cake by Sara Manopla Chehebar was cut to "Kiss Me"—a song they'd fallen for together watching How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days. Then, Faks Productions shifted the energy entirely and the dance floor was packed until the moment the lights turned on.
